In the Shadow of Another
by FlakJacket
Summary: Hermione is being pursued by Voldemort, and only one person can get her out of her situation, and he can only hope she will not follow his same dark path. Reviews plz!
1. Default Chapter

In the Shadow of Another  
  
Author's Note: My first Hermione fic. Oh the flames you'll get if you don't write it...well...right. Although flames are very much appreciated, please do make your criticism constructive. Anyway, thanks to those friends of mine who have supported my fanfiction and encouraged my website and me to write (and write sequels to originals) dedicated to the Professor. (www.geocities.com/robbieoboe) Anyway, enjoy!  
  
Hermione walked through her house quietly; she liked it when it was this quiet at night, and even though she lived alone, usually she had her radio on, filling the house with music. This time, though, it was half past twelve, and she was extremely thirsty and thought to make a midnight trip to the fridge. Only the hall light was on; she treasured small moments like this when all was quiet and dark. She sat at the kitchen island, drinking a glass of apple juice, nothing stirring in the house, when she heard a loud noise outside. She put her glass down and stood up, listening carefully; nothing. Unsure of what it was, she went to her back window and opened the curtains, looking out over her back deck. The neighborhood was quiet, and only the trees rustled gently in a night breeze. Then she saw something move out of the corner of her eye. She looked at the corner of the deck furthest from her to see a tall figure in black robes, white skin and red gleaming eyes; it was Voldemort. She let out a high-pitched scream as he Apparated inside, suddenly next to her. Without a second thought, Hermione Apparated out of her house and straight to the Hogwarts school grounds.  
  
***  
  
Severus Snape sat back at his desk, letting out a heavy sigh; he'd been working late into the night, and now dark circles were growing underneath his eyes. Just as he got up to go to bed he heard a noise; it sounded like someone screaming. He looked out his window to see two figures running across the Hogwarts lawn; one was a familiar-looking young woman and the other...  
  
He let out a cry of pain as his Dark Mark burned angrily on his arm. He immediately ran out of his office to the Hogwarts main doors and opened them to see Hermione Granger, now twenty-six years old, running toward him. He wanted to get Dumbledore but it would be too long for him to run all the way back to the Headmaster's office, when there he was, right beside Snape. Hermione dodged into Hogwarts and there was Voldemort, right behind her. He came to a halt just as Hermione entered Hogwarts, staring at Dumbledore and Snape. Dumbledore already had his wand raised and the beginnings of a Freezing Charm were coming from his lips when Voldemort dodged aside, the spell missing him entirely, and he Apparated off grounds. He was gone.  
  
Hermione was leaning against the wall, clearly scared out of her wits and gasping for breath. Dumbledore turned to Snape, "Take her up to the hospital wing to Madam Pomfrey. I must go to the Ministry. You are in charge for tonight." A minute later he was gone and Snape was left with a very shaken Hermione. Snape wasn't quite sure what to do with her; he knew she didn't need to be in the hospital wing, she was fine, just a little nervous...or scared beyond belief. Snape didn't like thinking about what might be going through her mind at the moment; Voldemort had killed her parents, Potter, and Weasley. She was probably thinking about how they died.  
  
"Contrary to the Headmaster's belief, I do not think you need to go to Madam Pomfrey," said Snape, "we can talk in my office." He began to walk toward the dungeon but she would not move, still leaning against the wall, almost paralyzed with fear. For once in his life he took pity on her and gently pushed her toward the dungeon, steadying her on his arm. Suddenly a high, cackling laugh sounded from the dungeon steps and Peeves the Poltergeist came flying out. "Oohh, a Gryffindor being helped by Slytherin Snape?!" cried Peeves in mock surprise, flipping himself upside down and sticking his tongue out at the two of them. Snape's lip curled with displeasure, "This is urgent business Peeves. Out of the way." "Slithery Slytherin Sna-ape!" Peeves sang, "He takes points from Gryffindor yet he helps its best student! Slithery Slytherin Hypocritical Sna-ape!" "PEEVES! So help me I WILL get the Bloody Baron!" shouted Snape. Peeves seemed to take this warning seriously and sped off toward the kitchens, still singing happily.  
  
Snape hurried Hermione down to his office in the dungeons, sitting her down in a large armchair. "What happened Granger?" he asked, sitting down behind his desk.  
  
***  
  
Hermione was mortified when she'd seen Voldemort inside her house; then he'd followed her to Hogwarts! She'd never been more frightened in her entire life, mostly because she was imagining how Harry, Ron, and her parents must have died, seeing Voldemort's mad, gleaming eyes and hearing his cold laugh... But then she'd gotten to safety, otherwise known as Hogwarts, and Snape, of all people, had helped her. "What happened?" he asked again when she didn't respond the first time. Hermione finally found the courage to speak and told him of her encounter with Voldemort at her house. "I suppose he was after me because I was friends with Harry. Or maybe he knows about the research I'm doing right now, I don't know..." she said quietly. "What sort of research?" asked Snape. "Research for the Ministry," she said, "a small group of us are working on how to destroy Voldemort. I suppose it's possible that it could have leaked out and gotten to him somehow. I don't want to think about it though." She drew her knees to her chest, and put her head down. Snape decided not to press the matter any further until morning. It was then that he noticed how pale and thin Hermione appeared; much different from her school days when she had large bushy hair and...well...she looked more alive then. Flamboyant, almost. Now she looked like she was dying because of her pale, sallow skin and her flat brown hair; it looked almost greasy, and her black clothing didn't add anything to it.  
  
He started with realization.  
  
She was his mirror image from fifteen years ago.  
  
***  
  
Hermione awoke the next morning to find a warm blanket covering her and several of her joints aching with cramped pain from sitting in the armchair all night long. She looked up at Snape's desk to see him on the verge of falling asleep; he'd been up all night, it seemed, and his wand was clutched in one hand. 'He was staying awake to protect me,' she thought absent-mindedly as she got up and stretched. Snape's eyes widened slightly when he noticed she was awake, and some of the glazed over look disappeared. "About time you were up," he said sternly. She shrugged, "Sorry...and I'm sorry about inconveniencing you. Thank you for protecting me for the night. I'll go now." Snape wished she hadn't noticed his wand in his hand; he didn't want it to look like he was concerned for, because he wasn't. "I doubt you'll be going anywhere," he said as she opened the door to leave. "Why do you say that?" she asked. "Because Dumbledore will probably want you to stay here under his protection. I daresay he might not even let you go home."  
  
She frowned, "I don't need someone to hold my hand..." "You're right, you don't, but you do need someone to watch out for you in case Voldemort decides to slit your throat in the middle of the night," he said tartly. She flinched; that wasn't the retort she'd expected. "Okay, fine, I'll see Dumbledore about it then," she said.  
  
***  
  
"...No, Hermione. You will not go home alone, and you will not stay there. The Ministry cannot possibly risk your life when it is such a crucial time to finding a way to destroy him. No, you will stay here at Hogwarts as a safety precaution," finished Dumbledore. "But...but what'll I do here?" said Hermione. Dumbledore smiled, "You'll conduct your research here and...perhaps help a teacher by being their assistant. Severus, are you in need of a teaching assistant in your Potions class?" Snape seemed to glare at Dumbledore, "No. I can handle my classes all by myself, thanks." He shrugged, "Well then, Miss Granger, perhaps Professor Vector or Professor Flitwick could use some help in their classes. Do what you must as long as you remain inside the castle. Now, I suggest you get a move on so you don't miss lunch. Good day!" Obviously their cues to leave, Hermione and Snape both got up to leave, then Hermione remembered. "Headmaster, sir...where do I stay?" Dumbledore didn't seem to have considered that; "I'll think about it Miss Granger, and you'll have your answer by dinner."  
  
As Hermione and Snape exited the stairway and stopped outside the gargoyle, he turned to her. "Just because I don't want to see a fairly good mind go to waste, you can help me plan my lessons." "Oh," she said, caught off guard, "well...thank you, Professor." "And you might as well call me by my first name since we're working together," he added sourly as he entered the Great Hall. She shrugged, "Um...okay."  
  
***  
  
After dinner that night Dumbledore stopped Hermione and told her where her new place of residence would be. "There's a teacher's assistant room next to Minerva McGonagall's. If you would like to stay there, and after all, you could be her assistant..." "Oh, well I'm sort of already Professor Snape's assistant," she said, "he said I could help him plan his lessons because he didn't want my presence here going to waste." "Did he?" said Dumbledore curiously, "Very well then. Anyway, your room is at the portrait of Cassandra Vablatsky; password is 'Leviosa.'" She nodded, "Thank you." Just then, however, Professor Snape stopped in front of them, "Headmaster I was going to suggest that perhaps Miss Granger would like the teacher's assistant room next to mine. I only use it as a library, and I'd be willing to put up with her until she can go home." 'Put up with me?' thought Hermione, anger flaming beneath her cool exterior, "Oh. Well I'm glad you'd be able to put up with me for so long, Professor. How very kind of you." Dumbledore was trying not to laugh, and when Snape looked at him for some back up all he got was that knowing twinkle in his light blue eyes.  
  
Snape simply swept off to the dungeons, looking a fouler mood than usual, and his mood turning even fouler when Hermione called after him, "Thank you...Severus!" stretching out every syllable of his name as if it were a taunt. He balled his fists angrily but didn't turn back, and instead headed down to his office.  
  
He really wanted to kick something.  
  
***  
  
That night Hermione entered her new room apprehensively and almost spat with disgust; it was covered in silver and green. "Have to change that," she said, pulling out her wand and performing a simple color-changing spell. The colors went from silver and green to scarlet and gold, and she put her wand back with satisfaction. It was just then that she noticed, however, that bookshelves and hundreds and hundreds of books took up two entire walls in the room. Her jaw dropped, "It looks like my room!" There were books on everything...Arithmancy, Advanced Transfiguration, Potions (of course), Advanced Charms, Ancient Runes, Alchemy (naturally)...and even a few on Muggle subjects like Chemistry and Physics. "Wow," she said, pulling out some of the books and leafing through them, "this is amazing." She'd even read some of these; most of the Chemistry and Physics ones were in her own room at home.  
  
Snape, in the meantime, was watching with half-hearted interest as Hermione sat on the bed, staring at books and taking in whatever she could like a sponge. "I'd appreciate it if you would put those books back where you found them once you're finished," he said, making her jump with surprise. She hadn't known he was there; "Oh! Yes, of course I'll put them back," she said. "Good night, Granger," he said, turning to leave. "If we're going to be working together you might as well start addressing me by my first name," called Hermione after him, almost in a mockery tone of what he had said earlier. He looked back at her, "Very well...Hermione," he said, practically a sneering tone. She rolled her eyes as he departed for his office, "This is going to be a really interesting year," she said out loud.  
  
***  
  
Snape stood silently outside the cracked door to Hermione's room; he really needed that book and it was his library anyway! Now he could either go in there and risk scaring Hermione out of her wits, but still get his book, or he could just wait till morning, which didn't feel like an option right now what with his work pressing on his mind. At the same time though, it was the middle of the night, he shouldn't just go in there and grab his book; she'd be paranoid for the rest of the year that he might walk in on her at any time. He rolled his eyes in frustration, 'How did I ever get myself into this mess?' he thought agitatedly. 'Bugger it all; I'll just use one of my Animagus forms.' Soon a black cat was slinking into Hermione's room, where she was not at all asleep. She'd been lying awake, thinking of her parents, and she'd left the door open to allow a cool castle breeze into her heated room. She was staring at one wall of books when she noticed one of them was moving on its own; she sat up and turned the light on to see a black cat hanging onto the book, pulling it down from the shelf. "Hey!" she said, "What're you doing, kitty?"  
  
Snape rolled his now yellow eyes, 'This isn't going at all as I'd intended.'  
  
Hermione stood up and walked over to him, pushing the book back into its slot, "Whom do you belong to?" she asked, staring down at him. Snape wanted to just transform back into his usual human shape but he refrained; she'd jump clear out of her skin and probably never speak to him again. 'But at this rate, that might be a plus,' he thought foully as he tried to dash out of the room. Hermione, however, was too quick and shut the door, then swiftly picked him up, "Aren't you cute?" she said, scratching his head. "LET ME GO! PUT ME DOWN YOU FOOL!" he shouted, but only a series of angry meows came out. "Ohhh, what're you so mad for? I'm not going to hurt you!" said Hermione, cradling the infuriated cat in her arms and giving him a light playful kiss on the top of his head. 'Don't make me bite you...' thought Snape angrily. "Come on," Hermione coaxed, "you can sleep with me tonight!" That did it. Snape immediately transformed and Hermione fell over from the sudden weight increase in her arms. "I AM NOT A CAT!" he shouted as he got up from the floor and dusted himself off. "You're...an...an Animagus?!" said Hermione in a bewildered tone. "Of course I am!" he snapped, "And look! Not just one animal either!" Suddenly there was a black snake on the ground, hissing at her angrily, then the Potions Master reappeared, still hissing at her angrily.  
  
"Well...well it's not my fault I didn't know!" she said, suddenly regaining her voice and courage. "If you hadn't sneaked in here to do whatever it was then I wouldn't have seen you!" "It's my library and I'll do what I want!" he retorted foully, spitting with rage. "Oh yes! Yes whatever you want except sneaking in here and scaring the living daylights out of me!" she shouted. Snape said nothing more and instead strode swiftly to the door, then turned back to glare at her, and picked up the shelved book from its spot, "Good night Miss Granger!" he said sarcastically as he left. "Good night Professor Snape!" she snarled at his back as he swept down the hall, and she slammed the door shut as hard as she could.  
  
***  
  
Three hours later Snape was still at his desk, working in silence, although he was feeling pretty distracted. Finally he ignored it no longer and sat back, thinking wistfully of the times before Hermione had shown up when he hadn't a conscience to debate with. Now, however, he was starting to think that that whole little incident earlier tonight was his fault. It was never his fault though. How could it suddenly be his fault? For thirty-five years he'd never had a conscience about whether something was his fault or not, but now... "That wasn't my fault," he said out loud to the empty classroom, "I have a right to go in there and get my books when I want to." Yet still he had a heavy shadow on his heart that he shouldn't have yelled at her about that; it wasn't her fault, it was his. 'I'm going to pay for this,' he thought as he got up and walked morosely down the hall to her room. He rapped his knuckles sharply on the door and a minute later she appeared, looking very tired, "Oh. It's you." "Yes it's me," he said shortly, "I just wanted to tell you..."  
  
A minute passed by and he didn't say anything, "Is there something wrong?" she said finally. "No, I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier tonight over...what happened." The wheels were already turning in her mind, "You're not being sarcastic again are you?" "No, no I'm being quite serious. It was wrong for me to yell at you because it was my fault." She nodded slowly, "Okay...well...for what it's worth I'm sorry that I overreacted. How about we just call it even, and from now on, if you want a book from in here, why don't you just knock and ask?"  
  
Strangely enough, that thought had never occurred to him. "Very well. Good night Hermione," he said, turning on his heel to leave. She smiled morosely as he left, "Good night Severus."  
  
***  
  
The next day Hermione was sitting in the dungeons with Professor Snape, helping him plan lessons whenever he would let her. They were just beginning on a big end of the week exam when suddenly Snape stood up, "I have to go. I'll be back in a few hours. Work on this if you want." A minute later he had swept out of the room, and Hermione was left with a large stack of papers and no explanation as to what was going on.  
  
Three hours passed before the door finally opened again, and to her surprise it wasn't Snape but Dumbledore that entered. "How are you getting along Hermione?" asked Dumbledore, sitting down beside her. "Fine I suppose. I've been making up a test for Professor Snape, but he left a few hours ago and I don't know where he's gone." Dumbledore nodded, "He left because Voldemort called him. Whenever the Dark Mark burns into his arm, he has to go, no excuses. No doubt he didn't want you knowing that, but I think it best to tell you so..." "I don't get curious and try to follow him?" asked Hermione blandly. "In a sense, yes, or ask him questions about it for that matter. It's not something he likes to talk about, Hermione." She nodded, "I understand. But sir, what about-"  
  
The door opened and Snape came in looking far worse off than what he had when he'd left. "Anything new developing?" asked Dumbledore quietly. Snape slumped into a chair, looking at them both in a depressed manner, "Unfortunately yes. Voldemort is looking for more followers, and he has his eye on one person in particular." Suddenly his gaze turned to Hermione, black eyes boring into hers, "That's why he's after me, isn't it?" she asked, tilting her head back against the chair with despair. He nodded, letting out a deep sigh, "It's very simple. Join him or die." For a few minutes they sat in silence, the warm crackling of the fireplace the only disturbance in the room. Finally, Hermione spoke, "Well what am I going to do? I can't stay in hiding for the rest of my life yet remaining in the open is not an option. From where I sit, there is only one solution I can think of." Dumbledore shut his eyes and Snape put his head in his hands; both of them had been dreading the same conclusion.  
  
Hermione had to become a Death Eater. 


	2. 

***  
  
Fifteen years ago Dumbledore had been sitting in his office when one of his former students, Severus Snape, entered and told him that he had become a Death Eater, but now he wanted to change his ways. He would be a spy for the Ministry of Magic, and every time he went to a Death Eater meeting he risked his life and sanity. However, he proved to be a steady source of information from Voldemort's inner circle, and Dumbledore would thenceforth never speak ill of the courageous young man.  
  
And now, he was faced with the same situation all over again; Hermione Granger, one of his brightest students as Snape once was, would become a spy Death Eater. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?" asked Dumbledore seriously as they sat in his circular office, Fawkes the phoenix watching with curiosity from his perch. She nodded, "Yes. I will not hide inside Hogwarts for the rest of my life, but I'm not going to live at home knowing Voldemort could kill me at any time he wished it so. This is the only way out of it, and it may cause his downfall. I hope, at least," she added, almost shakily. Dumbledore turned to Snape, "Well?" He nodded, "I can get her in if she's sincere in going through with it." "I am sincere!" said Hermione, feeling like he was questioning her. "Fine," he said, "but once you get that Mark burned onto your arm there is no going back."  
  
She shrugged, "It's not exactly an option whether I do this or not now is it?" Dumbledore shook his head, "If there were another way..." "I would take it gladly," said Hermione, "but there is none. Look, there's no more time left to debate over this. I'll join up with them at the next meeting. When is it?" she asked, turning to Snape. "This coming Sunday night. You can come down to the dungeon and I'll take you there." She nodded, "Okay, then it's done. I'll see you both later."  
  
***  
  
Despite Hermione's cool air, Snape felt that she wasn't as calm as she was acting. 'Probably scared out of her wits,' he thought as he descended into the dungeons. It was a distinct reminder of what had happened to him fifteen years ago when he'd felt that first thrill of fear run through him after leaving Dumbledore's office a spy. He'd been nervous beyond belief when he'd gone back to the Death Eaters a spy, mostly because he knew that if his cover was blown he was dead where he stood.  
  
He sat down at his desk, deep in thought, and not quite sure what to do. Hermione Granger, despite his best efforts to quell her insatiable desire for knowledge during her years here, was one of his best students. The type that most teachers wished other students would be like; a role model. He stared down at the stack of papers she had made for him earlier; her work actually didn't appear all that distinctive from his own. They both seemed to want to challenge the students as much as possible. He shut his eyes and tilted his head back against his chair, blood boiling with anger; 'The last person in the world that deserves this...and yet somehow she ended up in the same situation I did years ago.' "Blast it!" he shouted, slamming his fist down on his desk.  
  
"Something wrong?" asked Hermione from the doorway. He almost jumped with surprise but kept still, "No, just a little frustrated, that's all. Nothing you need to worry about Granger." "I thought I told you to call me Hermione," she said as she sat down in the armchair across from him. "I forget sometimes. Sorry." "Oooh," she said, fanning herself, "you just apologized to me." "Yeah, well, don't let it go to your head," he snapped bitterly. She rolled her eyes, "Anyway," she said, getting up to leave, "I just wanted to see...erm...how things are going." He raised his eyebrows, "What?" "I gotta go, never mind," she said walking to the door. As she left, however, Snape really noticed for the first time how worn-out she appeared. Her hair was flat with grease and her robes were black, and she had a cold bite to her voice that wasn't there when she'd first arrived at Hogwarts several years ago. "Hermione...wait," said Snape.  
  
She turned back, "Yes?" He didn't know quite how else to put it, so... "Why don't you wash your hair anymore?" She rolled her eyes, "You're one to ask that question." He shook his head, "That came out wrong. Here. Let me show you what I mean." He pulled out a small desk mirror from one of his drawers and cast an Expansion spell on it, enlarging it until it was at least six and a half feet tall. "Look in the mirror and tell me what you see," he said, stepping aside. She stood next to him, "I see Hermione and Professor...er...Severus. Why?" "Keep looking," he said, waiting a minute.  
  
Hermione stared into the mirror morosely, then something peculiar appeared in her mind. "I look really tired," she said, rubbing her eyes.   
  
"Anything else?"   
  
"No. Well...yes, sort of. Ha! I really do need to wash my hair, but...I look very pale. Very, very pale actually." She leaned in closer until she practically had her nose against the mirror, "I look so different from when I was here with Ron and Harry. I think I'm overworking myself." "Does it remind you of anyone you know?" he asked quietly. "No. I don't know anyone who looks greasy or sallow and pale, or...or..." She turned back to face him, "Oh no..."  
  
"I'm warning you Hermione," he said, "if you think you look bad now wait until Voldemort is finished with you. You know who you'll look like? Do you?!" She nodded, shutting her eyes, "I'll look like you." "Yes! Yes and unless you change your mind you will be doomed to repeat my history!" he shouted, almost in a pleading tone to make her change her mind. "It doesn't matter. I'm going with you on Sunday and don't expect me to change my mind. Besides, you didn't turn out all that bad," she said, turning to leave. "Not all that bad?!" he snapped, grabbing her by the shoulders, "Do you want this sort of emotional weight on you everywhere you go?! Having to think about how many people you watched suffer and die?! Having to think about it every day for the rest of your life wishing you could change it and make it better?!" "I can't do anything, which renders this argument pointless!" she shouted back. "This is my only option so don't take it out on me because I don't want to do this! I have no choice!"  
  
He released her from his iron grip, "If you change your mind before Sunday..." "Believe me, I won't," she said, readjusting her black robes. He turned his back to her, staring out the window, "You had might as well go then. Nothing else needs to be said, does it?" She clenched her fists angrily but said nothing, walking to the doorway. She stopped, however, and looked back at him, "Do you know why I said you didn't turn out all that bad?" He looked over his shoulder, "No but I suppose you're going to tell me." She ignored his bit of sarcasm, "Because no matter what you did as a Death Eater, you did far better things helping the Ministry. Perhaps for every life you took you saved another, I don't know. Either way, you have a heart of gold and a courageous, if not slightly sarcastic and vindictive, personality. As far as I'm concerned, you are probably one of the best people I'll ever know. So you can't be all that bad."  
  
A minute later Hermione was gone, and Snape was left alone in his classroom, thankful he had been facing away from her at the time because at the moment his face was very red with embarrassment.  
  
Author's Note: A very dramatic chapter indeed, but a bit of a light moment with old Snape being embarrassed there at the end, eh? 


	3. 

The following Sunday Hermione was descending the stairs to the dungeons, nervousness coursing through her veins. This was it. No turning back now. Severus was already waiting there, standing in front of his classroom door. "We're Apparating outside Hogwarts grounds," he said, "let's go." They walked in silence, and Hermione was beginning to feel queasier with every step. Finally, and sooner than she'd expected, they were standing outside the Hogwarts gates. He pulled back the sleeve of his robes to reveal the Dark Mark burning on his forearm, "All right. Give me your hand." He clenched it tightly in one hand and pressed his fingers into the Mark with the other. 'Tell me I'm not here,' he thought as the world spun around them, 'tell me I'm not about to make one of my ex-students a Death Eater.'  
  
He only wished this were a nightmare.  
  
***  
  
They landed in a graveyard, and Hermione got up shakily, and Snape had to support her with one arm. "Come on, act calm," he said through clenched teeth as he led her toward a circle of black-robed Death Eaters. They grew silent as they saw her, although Hermione's hood was up, they knew she was a newcomer. Lucius Malfoy approached Severus from the side, glancing at Hermione, "Is this the one Voldemort has been seeking?" he asked softly. He could only nod; he wasn't sure if he was going to be sick or not. "You seem nervous, Snape. Is something the matter?" he asked in an almost snake-like tone. He shook his head, "No, of course not. Although I must confess some nervousness as I do not wish to disappoint my master." After that Malfoy backed off, but that didn't stop Severus from wanting to punch his eyes out of his head.  
  
Hermione, in the meantime, was starting to shake very badly, and could only just conceal it beneath her robes. Severus seemed to sense it and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, although trying not to seem too affectionate as the Death Eaters might suspect something. Then, they grew very silent, so silent that Hermione wanted to scream to break the thickening silence of the air. 'There must be a reason for their quiet,' she thought; then, to her horror, someone Apparated into the middle of the circle.  
  
Voldemort.  
  
He cast back his hood to reveal his stretched, ugly form of red eyes and slits where nostrils should be. He looked so vile Hermione wanted to scream from fear but she resisted; Severus picked up on her sudden tenseness and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Her heartbeat slowed a bit, but still, when Voldemort's eyes fell upon her...  
  
"Ahh, Severus, you have pulled through yet again," he said, looking down at Hermione. He gave a wave of his hand and a sudden breeze yanked off Hermione's hood to reveal her face, "Yes indeed. The very person who has been the center of my interest for two weeks now. Hermione Granger." She almost shivered when he said her name; he sounded like a slithering, slimy snake, not at all like Severus' comforting voice. "Are you ready to become a Death Eater?" asked Voldemort curiously. She nodded; "Speak when you answer me," snapped Voldemort. "Yes, I am ready," she said unsteadily. He stared at her for one long heart-stopping moment, "No. You're not." Suddenly Severus' hand squeezed her shoulder not in reassurance but fear as Voldemort continued. "You are not ready because you are a Gryffindor and you do not want to be here. I suspect that you are here because you were caught between a rock and a hard place. Join me or die; yet somehow...you might join, but join as a spy, and a spy is the last thing I need. Especially since there is already one here in our circle."  
  
The Death Eaters murmured at this information, but Voldemort continued. "Yes. A spy. A spy in my own inner circle. But...who?" Voldemort took out his wand and twirled it in his spidery hands, "Oh, who could it be, who could it be...hmm..." He walked to the other side of the circle, staring at a few of them, "Could it be you, Goyle? Or perhaps you, Lucius? No, no, none of you..." he said as they each shirked back in turn. He turned to Severus, "Or perhaps is it you, Severus Snape, Potions Master of Hogwarts?" He shook his head rapidly, "My Lord, I would never..." "You lie," replied Voldemort coldly. "No my Lord, it is certainly not me, I brought you..." "Yes, yes, I know what you brought me," he said, looking down at Hermione. "But maybe this is nothing more than a ploy...a trap to bring me down using another powerful spy." 'Powerful?' thought Hermione, 'I'm not at all powerful. What's he talking about?'  
  
"But it is not important now," said Voldemort, "because now I know who the perpetrator is. Passing along information to that Mudblood-loving fool Dumbledore...tut, tut." "Lord please it is not me!" said Severus firmly. He stared at him, red eyes boring into black, "Don't lie to me. Crucio!" Hermione watched in horror as the spell was headed right for the both of them, then she felt Severus push her out of the way; Hermione, however, was not about ready to give in so easily. The spell hit her full-blast as she in turn knocked him out of the way, but instead of feeling white-hot knives of pain all over her body...nothing. Voldemort, the Death Eaters, and even Severus stared at her in amazement as the spell simply dissipated and died right there in front of her, as if an invisible halo were blocking the spell. Voldemort's eyes became even more vicious-looking, "Avada Kedavra!" he shouted, aiming the Killing Curse for her.  
  
It bounced off her like a rock skipping off water.  
  
Severus saw the opportunity and took it, whipping out his wand, "Petrificus Totalus!" he cried, the spell hitting Voldemort full-blast and Petrifying him completely. The other Death Eaters let out cries of alarm and immediately pulled out their own wands, but Hermione and Severus ducked behind a large headstone. "Now what do we do?!" asked Hermione frantically as she aimed some spells at random spots in front of the headstone, hoping they were hitting someone. "I'm working on it!" Severus replied as he did the same. "Can't we just Apparate out of here?" asked Hermione as she Petrified Lucius Malfoy. "No, are you mad? And just let Voldemort get away?!" he asked, "Then he'll come back and torture us for the rest of eternity once he's had the counter-curse applied to my Petrifying spell!"  
  
For at least twenty minutes an all-out war was raging between a small group of angry Death Eaters and two desperate people behind a tombstone, then... "Hey Severus! Look!" Several blue spells were hitting Death Eaters, but they weren't coming from either of their wands. "The Ministry must have been alerted," Severus sighed with relief. "Aurors; they have to be." Sure enough, a few minutes later the entire circle of Death Eaters was succumbed to Petrifying spells and Hermione and Severus came out of hiding. Dumbledore suddenly came rushing to them, "Are you both all right?" he said worriedly. "Fine," said Severus, looking down at Hermione. "Fine," she added, "I think we're both going to be just fine."  
  
***  
  
Hermione laughed silently to herself as she continuously glanced over at Severus, who was reading the Daily Prophet at his desk. "Why, may I ask," he said without looking up from the paper, "do you keep staring at me?" She laughed, "I just can't believe it. You look so different. I would never have guessed in a million years that the greasy Potions Master could look so..." she trailed off. "So what, Hermione? You have my attention so please do continue," he said, lowering the paper slightly so he could make eye contact. She blushed and looked away, staring into the fire; she didn't want to say it but he looked quite...er...well, perhaps striking was a good word for it. Three weeks had passed since the incident in the graveyard, and he had cleaned himself up considerably. Hermione, in turn, had also done the same; she actually liked touching her hair now that it wasn't greasy. "Are you going to answer my question or am I going to have to get the Veritaserum?" he asked. "Oh alright. You appear, despite all my better judgments, very, very good-looking. There. I've said it." Severus put the paper back up, hiding his face, which was currently burning like the setting sun. "You have most certainly said it indeed," he said, trying to concentrate on the weekly "Alchemist Today" column.  
  
Suddenly Hermione peeked up from over the top of the paper, "Is that a sunburn or are you blushing?" He frowned at her, "Must be a sunburn because I don't blush." "I'll prove it otherwise," she said with a grin. "Not if I can help it," he replied. She rolled her eyes and sat back down; then a question hit her. "Severus...why did those spells bounce off me?" He put down his paper, "Because you are stronger than he is." Hermione wasn't expecting such a simplistic answer, "And that is because...?" He folded up his paper and dropped it on his desk with a light fluttering of the pages, "Because, Hermione, when someone's heart is truly in the right place, good really does triumph over evil, as incredibly prosaic and cliché as that sounds.   
  
"So basically I beat him because I had good intentions in mind and a sincere desire to win against an evil git."   
  
"Something like that, yes."  
  
"Can the opposite thing happen? Can someone with a sincere desire to do evil defeat someone good?"  
  
"The thought has crossed my mind..."  
  
"Not a long journey..."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
She laughed, "You know I was kidding."  
  
"Yes, I know."  
  
Since his retirement from the spy business, Severus had become a bit more light-hearted, and Hermione found it easier to joke with him as of late. The room was silent once again, but Hermione couldn't help but stare at him once more. "What? What is it that is so different?!" he said finally. She shrugged, "Well I always thought your hair was black but since you washed it I've noticed it's brown. That's really quite disgusting." "Yeah, well, try living with it," he retorted. She rolled her eyes mockingly then got up to leave, "I have to go finish some research, but I suppose I'll see you later?" "There's always a chance. After all, it's a big castle," he said, looking at his newspaper again.  
  
She walked past his desk to the door, but stopped to hug him around the neck from behind. "Hey! What's that for?" he asked, a little uncomfortable at meaningful human contact and blushing again. She laughed when she saw his face, "For proving that's not a sunburn."  
  
As Hermione left, Severus mentally kicked himself.  
  
***  
  
"And to replace our beloved Professor Vector as Arithmancy teacher, Professor Hermione Granger will be taking her place!" said Dumbledore at the start-of-term banquet. Hermione smiled nervously at the crowd of students as she sat down next to Severus and Professor Binns. "Now let's begin the feast!" cried Dumbledore; he clapped his hands and food appeared on their plates. As he sat down, however, most of the students and teachers noticed a peculiar smile on his face. 'It is unfortunate they can't see what I'm seeing,' thought Dumbledore as he sat down.  
  
Behind the table, Severus and Hermione were holding hands.  
  
~The End~ 


End file.
